To name you
by theramblingfangirl
Summary: Susan Foreman. Susan Campbell. Arkytior of House Pyrodian. She's had many names over the years and named more than one child herself. But names are of great importance to Gallifreyans, each one holding some form of significance and choosing one never gets any easier. So, sat on a park bench with a baby in her arms, one mother has a very important decision to make.


It was a beautiful day.

Birds were singing, and the sun streaming down basking this part of England in a pleasant heat.

Students were milling around in a park, basking in the heat as they laughed and enjoyed their lunches.

One boy was snickering as he tried to drink from brown paper bag in what he thought was a subtle manner.

Another was watching him, his heart picking up in pace in his chest every time the other looked back in his direction. It would take over a decade and a divorce for something to come of this, but one day they would get their happily ever after. They would also accomplish something else that would place their names forever into history books, but that was a story for another day.

Then there was the girl with the red beret, just lying down in the grass as the world went on around her. She would be dead before that decade was over, after sacrificing her life in the service of UNIT. She would not go down in any history books, but she would still be a hero, was still important.

They all were. Every single one of them, they were all so wonderfully important.

She'd missed this.

The woman that is, the woman sitting in a bench with her unnamed child, watching the students of Coal Hill mill around her.

She'd been one of them once, a long, long time ago.

Before numerous separate wars, two on this planet which had yet to happen and a far greater one on her own, a war echoed throughout all of time, which had burned the planet's very sky and reduced others to ash.

She could never be one of them again, this new face looked too old for that for one thing.

So instead, for this one sunny afternoon, she would just watch them go by, wanting to see if she could recognise any faces, see any descendants of her old classmates, friends, like Roberts or Brent, among them.

She did this while trying to think of a name for her sleeping youngest last child.

Names were different for Gallifreyans than they were for humans, the meanings of them holding much more significance.

Her name for example, her original name, was Arkytior. It meant "plant" and thus in itself her being named such was perceived by much of the populace as a small act of rebellion, an indication of nonconformity.

Even the Earth title of Susan Foreman held significance, Susan being as much a translation as was possible of Arkytior, and Foreman being chosen based on where she had intended to stay: Foreman Lane.

As had Campbell, the name she had taken as a naïve, love-struck time tot who'd fallen in love with a resistance fighter.

Not that the surname could be used by them anymore. Susan was a common enough name to escape much notice, but to also still go by Foreman would be pushing it. Were anyone looking for her and her daughter to hear of a "Susan Foreman who suddenly moved here and has no traceable background or family except her infant" then if they were worth anything, that would grab their attention fast.

So they were starting from scratch. All she had to go on was if they were to live on Earth, then the name she gave would have to reflect that.

Susan looked down at her child and sighed.

What to name you…

The baby was so precious to her, her last youngest only child.

There were a few names which could reflect that, precious gems or marvellous cities, but they didn't seem personal enough. Not for a child of hers heritage.

So she cast her mind back.

Ian, after one of her favourite teachers. Taken by Ian Campbell. Gone.

Barbara, after her other favourite teacher. Taken by Barbara Campbell. Gone.

David, after her first ill-guided love. Taken by David Campbell Junior. Gone.

Alex, the name that David had liked. Taken by Alex Campbell. Gone.

And found nothing, until her gaze went back to the student in the red beret.

The student was sat up, counting her money it seemed, and that, that brought a memory back.

When she'd first come to Earth, Susan hadn't understood money.

It was undeniably a precious and important thing for the humans, that she'd learned very quickly. But it was just a mystery to her, what with so many different versions of it…and the most important aspect of it seemed to be bills. She'd always heard teachers talking about their money being given for a "bill" or "bills". Obviously a bill was very important if so much money was devoted to it…

…Susan would give all the money in the universe for her daughter. Her precious, one-hearted little girl who always looked so fascinated about the world around her. Her little girl whose current ongoing existence and fate would remain a mystery to all of Gallifrey for as long as Susan could help it.

And Bill was an Earth name too. She'd met someone briefly in the 22nd century who'd gone by it, but they had said it was short for something.

Susan could only guess that at the very least meant it had more vowels.

Billa…

Billo…

Billu…

On and on she ran through the possibilities until she came to two final options, "Billy" or "Billie", both of which sounded the exact same, the only difference being one had more vowels.

A smile started to spread across Susan's face as she closely examined her daughter's…

 _You look like you could be a Bill…or a Billie…_

Now for a last name. That was important, but not as important as the given title that was a first name.

They didn't have last names back home. They'd just say what house they were from if they were to be formal. But she knew that on Earth these tended to be based on places like Foreman or objects like…

Clang

Pots.

There was a small child running around away from a trailing parent and amongst the students who were now filtering out as lunchtime ended, clanging some pots.

That could work. She'd probably have to add more letters, perhaps another "T" but it could be passible! And it would have significance, pots were things that could be useful and work to your favour when you need them, but also make you hurt if turned against you.

Susan and Billie Potts. Regular human mother and daughter.

There was a feeling of glee there, at having names chosen. At her first proper in this new life on Earth, a safe life on Earth.

And with that, a grin on her face she filtered out of the park with the last of the students, with renewed resolve that she could make this self-imposed exile work and raise her daughter in peace.

She wouldn't of course, but she didn't know that yet. She didn't know yet that before her daughter's first birthday she would be gone from her life, not even a memory. A daughter who would be told she looked like her mum, but wouldn't know for sure because of her mother's refusal to have any photos taken, lest any one of the people looking for her see them and know where she is.

She didn't know that yet, but when her grandfather turned up at her door with a camera, not the first time she'd seen him while living this life but she knew he was years older and not the modern version living in this time, seeking to rectify the one mistake that they could…

That was when Susan got a horrendous, foreboding feeling that something was going to go wrong.

But that, that would be at least a few months from now.

So for now, that hopeful grin would remain on her face, as the girl in the red beret watched her leave.

Red beret had noticed being watched, and something had seemed so…odd? Familiar? About that woman, and she just couldn't place it…

"Oswald! Are you coming or are you going to be late for class!"

At this reminder, Oswin turned away from the lady and headed back to class, where she would quickly forget the woman on the bench.

She, would also remain unaware, for now, of what fate time would bring unto her.


End file.
